Trey Nyoni, Alexander Isak Liverpool
Trey Nyoni and Alexander Isak during Liverpool's win at Palace
Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey is convinced ‘outstanding’ young midfielder Trey Nyoni can unleash two Anfield teammates and also save the club a fortune in the transfer market to boot.
The 19-year-old is making a big impression under Andoni Iraola this season, having started three of Liverpool’s four Champions League outings to date, although he is having to bide his time in the Premier League.
Nyoni came off the bench for the final 20 minutes of Sunday’s 3-1 victory at Crystal Palace, with attack-minded pairing Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister preferred in the double midfield pivot.
And despite also having Ryan Gravenberch on their books, Anfield chiefs continue to be tipped to sign a more defensive option for Iraola’s engine room.
READ: Alexis Mac Allister sends Liverpool fans message over future amid Real Madrid links
Heskey, however, thinks FSG could save themselves £100m-plus in the transfer market by trusting Nyoni to fill that role over the next decade.
Indeed, Heskey told Eldorado: “Can Trey Nyoni save Liverpool £100million in the transfer market by filling the place of the holding midfielder they’d otherwise need to sign? 100%! You’ve got to remember too he’s only 19, so he can keep doing this for the next 10 years.
“A lot of fans and a lot of pundits have been looking at Liverpool and saying they haven’t really got anyone who can punch a ball through and keep it moving but now we’re seeing that that’s what Trey does, and he does it well.
“He’s only slight, so we’re not really looking at his stature and thinking he will be winning possession back at this moment in time, but he’s doing well with the ball, and what he produces for Liverpool in that role has been outstanding.
“It allows Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch to play further forward, and that’s probably where you get the best out of them, and they can help Trey by covering the ground and winning back the ball more aggressively than he can.
“If they can play in these higher positions, with Trey sitting back, it could give Liverpool a new lease of life because Gravenberch was only playing that role himself out of necessity. He’s not a holding midfielder. He only played there because Liverpool didn’t have anyone else.
“Now he can play further forward and we’ll start to see what he’s really about as a midfielder too.”
Nyoni, Ngumoha already causing Iraola a problem
Nyoni is already reported to be on the brink of fresh contract terms at Anfield, such has been his impact this term, and Reds legend Jamie Carragher firmly believes that the 19-year-old, alongside attacking sensation Rio Ngumoha, has given Iraola a real issue with his team selections going forward.
Carragher told CBS Sports Golazo, after the Champions League loss at Fenerbahce: “Nyoni and Ngumoha were the best players for Liverpool, and they were a week or so ago against Chelsea.
“But they also play in a position of players where Liverpool have spent big money.
“Barcola’s come in for £120m. He played up front tonight, didn’t play well, but the younger players are playing better than him.
“With Trey Nyoni in midfield, Liverpool haven’t spent expensively on a player as such, but they’ve given big contracts this summer to Ryan Gravenberch – who was left out at the weekend for Trey Nyoni – and Szoboszlai, who played tonight and didn’t play particularly well.”
READ NEXT: Liverpool starting to purr under Iraola as zonal marking folly exposed again
Carragher, meanwhile, has pointed a finger of blame at FSG’s recruitment, suggesting their money has not been invested wisely enough and arguably should have been spent on other areas of Iraola’s team.
“It doesn’t matter the figures, but you can imagine the type of figures they will be on.
“When a young player in midfield is playing ahead of them, that causes a problem about where you’ve spent your money. You basically haven’t spent your money well enough.”
Champions
Champions League places
Europa places
Outside European places
Trey Nyoni, Alexander Isak Liverpool
Trey Nyoni, Alexander Isak Liverpool